Team Nova
by LemonScentedSoap
Summary: What would happen if Heero's past returned to haunt him? It'd be catastrophic! He'll need help with this new problem!


'Team Nova'

By GundamgirlAC

Blood seeped through a bandaged wound on the back of the young man's head as he lay unconscious. Covered in battle scars, he was a depressing sight. Each part of his body had clearly been affected by the blast that had badly damaged a large section of the L1 Colony landing bay. The young boy's arms and legs were twisted, fractures and breakages covered his blood-stained limbs, which were wrapped rather then plastered.

**---**

He had been found by a family who were just outside the colony's atmosphere when the explosion occurred. When the disaster hit, a piece of shrapnel lodged itself into the craft's external engine, knocking the rocket off its computerised course. Luckily, one of the family members had training in mechanics, and she was able to repair the damage. That was when she saw him floating amongst the debris.

**---**

His ripped and bloodstained tank top and shorts barely covered his battered body, but this had obviously been taken in to account, because he was covered from just under his neck to the tip of his feet by a thick woven blanket. He was a little worse for wear, but asides from that; he was in reasonably good condition, considering what he had been through.

Waking from his deep sleep, the young man sat up, the blanket falling off his torso into a pile on his lap. Taking in his surroundings, he established that he had been brought to an off site hospital facility to have his wounds treated. The pain from his right arm and both his legs was apparent, but he soon remedied the situation. Now able to walk, he attempted to cover himself with the shredded remains of his heavily stained clothing (Luckily, his underwear had been spared; else he would have had a real problem!).There was just enough of the tattered material to cover himself, without him looking like an idiot.

Just as he was gathering his bearings, a small knock came from the small plastic door of his room. Not waiting for a response, the stranger opened the door and entered the room, carrying a tray of food.

"I see you're awake then. Good. You've been out for a while, nearly a day. We weren't sure you were going to pull through. Glad you did though. We don't get many patents down these parts, being on of the pacifist nations, 'en all." The older woman, whom the young man assumed to be a nurse, set the tray down on the small table next to the boy's bed. The nurse continued. "There's some food, and when you're finished, we need you to fill in some forms. Then you can meet the young lady who saved your life." And with that, the nurse walked out, closing the door behind her.

Saved my life? the young man repeated, was my mission such a failure that I required assistance?

**---**

The young woman sat patiently in the off site hospital waiting room. Nurses and Doctors ran in all directions, desperate to complete the great deals of work that was required of them to keep this hospital running smoothly. Though there were very few patients, those that were here obviously needed a lot of care. She knew what this was like, having studied in the medicine field. Being only seventeen and fully trained in both mechanics and medicine may seem unlikely but, thanks to her mysterious financial backer, she had finished her extended scholarship in a matter of years, starting at the tender age of fifteen. She met this strange man after she joined an army course. Having parents that were both in the police force had brought her up with the knowledge on how to protect herself, and she used this knowledge to excel in her army training, making her the youngest ranking cadet. That was when that she was introduced to Professor G. He had told her about these amazing fighting machines, called Gundams. She had once heard of these magnificent protectors defending the colonies, but had thought them to be only stories, having been only told of the terrible occurrences that had supposedly been caused by there huge machines.

The current Gundam pilots weren't protected by the law, so Prof. G asked her if she would like to join a specialised group of cadets, called Team Nova, that would be dispatched is ever the five pilots' required additional assistance. In return for her services, she would become the pilot of Gundam Sharpfire. Not as high-tech and modern as the originals, it could still pack a serious whollop, and was also on a higher upgrade then the newest series of mobile dolls.

Now you can imagine her reaction to being asked to be part of such an amazing project, so let's just say she accepted immediately (Cheering, Yelping, Jumping around…). Once she agreed, Prof. G told her that she would have to change her name, so as not to reveal her identity and put her family and friends in danger. She took the name Sanja Kanasoudu. It was originally the name of the project founder's daughter, who had been one of the many civilian casualties during the war.

Once her training was complete, Sanja was to go undercover, posing as a member of a family who had conveniently, if not sadly, lost a daughter who was similar in appearance and age to Sanja. They were part of the large team of people who were backing the project, and so were fully informed of the situation. Once her status and background was sorted, she was given her first mission.

There had been an information leak, from the underground, about a gang who were planning a few fireworks in the L1 landing bay. The gang weren't highly known, and this was their plan to be put on the map. Heero Yuy, one of the original pilots, had been informed of the situation and sent of to sort out this mess. That was when disaster struck and Heero, who had been able to disarm the larger of the explosives, was caught off guard by a second explosion. Sanja was sent off to investigate whether or not the original pilot survived, but was knocked off course by a shard of shrapnel that had damaged a major component, leaving it close to the brink of total failure. If it hadn't been for the engine failing, however, she never would have found her target amongst the debris. After taking him to an off site hospital in the centre of a small pacifist nation, she was to wait, to be sure that her target was going to pull through.

And here she was.

Waiting for the recovery of the famous 'Perfect Soldier'.

**---**

Heero sat at the edge of his bed. He had folded the blanket neatly, so as not to trouble the nurses any further then he already had. He had filled in all of the paperwork, which the nurse had taken away, and was now awaiting the arrival of the young woman who apparently saved him.

A horrible feeling had rushed through Heero's system since he awoke. The feeling was that of self-loathing, because he was unable to disarm both explosives, thus failing in his mission. He felt as though he had disgraced his mentor, and wasted all the training he'd had to endure to gain the reputation of 'The Perfect Soldier'.

Just as Heero finished running through his previous mission, a tall young woman stepped into his room. She was strong (That much Heero could tell from just looking at her.) and her long blond hair and sweet blue eyes caught the light, glistening as she walked towards him. Though he didn't really feel anything for her, Heero couldn't help but admire her beauty. After all, not all emotions can be completely erased! She opened her rounded lips to speak.

"Heero Yuy?"

Heero nodded.

"I'm the leader of Team Nova. My name is Sanja Kanasoudu. Two other people make up the team. I have reason to believe you have been given information about us."

"Affirmative." Heero responded in a military tone.

"We were informed of the explosion and I was sent to collect you. The gang has been apprehended without any extra information being released to the press."

Heero nodded in understanding.

"You are to check in with your mentor to confirm you are alive and well. Oh and, here." Sanja tossed him a drawstring bag. "Inside there's some clothes, and a few medical supplies should you require them." Heero slipped on the clothes, over his tattered rags. It was similar to the uniform he had been issued after his training.

"Don't you think it was unsafe bringing me here? The war may be over, but there are still battles being waged."

"That has been taken into account. This medical facility is part of the peace effort, and there are under strict orders not to ask for any information from any of their patients."

"No information at all?"

"No."

"Then I think we'd better get out of here, quick."

"Why?"

"Because I was just asked for information."

"Shit."

The sound of soldiers filled Heero's ears. The knowledge that he had been betrayed by a civilian in a pacifist nation made him feel sick. The two youths turned to face the door. Now standing, Heero searched for a means of escape. There weren't any. Obviously, the traitor had anticipated this.

Practically an entire army crashed through the plastic door, surrounding Heero and Sanja. One of the officers spoke.

"Heero Yuy. I was wondering how long it would be before I finally caught up with you. The famous 'Perfect Soldier', only an arm's lengths away. You should consider yourself lucky, Miss. No civilian has ever gotten this close to Heero Yuy without dieing."

Sanja gave a look to Heero, which obviously went unnoticed by the officer. Heero seemed to understand, giving her a single tiny nod in agreement. This should be interesting.

"H-H-Heero Yuy! Oh my lord! You're a criminal! Get away from me!" Sanja's acting was perfect. Heero almost laughed, but kept his amusement inside.

"It's okay Miss. We're here now, and this criminal will never harm another person." The Officer spoke in an almost superior tone, but Sanja ignored him, trying desperately to keep up the facade.

"How are expecting to arrest me? This is a pacifist nation. Arresting me would require violence, which in strictly outlawed, even to the police force."

"We took that into account, Mr Yuy, and that's why you are going to come quietly and not start a scene."

"And what makes you think I'll comply with those actions?"

"Because if you fight back, you will be breaking the law as well."

"So?"

The officer grew impatient. "Ok. Plan B. If you don't come quietly, we will be forced to kill your fellow pilots."

"That's a strange action for a police force." Heero smirked.

The officer smiled back. "So do we have to kill them?"

"And how are you planning on getting close enough to do that?"

"Simple. We have already got them in our 'special' custody."

"And why am I supposed to believe you?"

"Because. I have proof." The officer held out his arm. In his palm, he held a small video screen. The picture was dark, but Heero could make out the shackled bodies of Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei. The video obviously worked two ways, because Duo spoke once he saw Heero looking at him.

"Heero, buddy! You're a sight for sore eyes! Looks like our friends have caught up with you. Don't let them catch you. We're just bait. They only want you. Don't worry about what happens to us! Just run and don't let them catch…" Duo's face disappeared as the picture fizzed away. Heero felt his anger rising. How could they have aloud themselves to be captured?

Sanja, who had made her way past the soldiers, began to scream. Her tactics to distract the officer worked and he looked over his shoulder to see what the matter was. Heero used this momentary distraction to his advantage, delivering a sharp roundhouse kick, which knocked the officer and ten of the surrounding soldier backwards, starting a chain reaction of sorts, as the men fell over each other. The soldiers who were unaffected by the pile up lunged at his, but Heero easily dodged their futile attacks. Before long, the soldiers were lying in piles all around him, some barely conscious.

"HEERO! BEHIND YOU!"

Too late. As Heero turned, the soldier sprayed something in the young man's face. Almost instantly, Heero felt dizzy and weak. His legs were barely able to withstand his weight any longer, and they buckled under him. Slipping into the cold darkness of unconsciousness, Heero saw the fading image of his fellow pilot as she slipped away from the ciaos. No use in both of them getting caught. No longer able to resist it, Heero closed his eyes.

Two missions failed.

**---**

Heero felt helpless.

The fact that it was night time didn't help. It just meant that it was quiet difficult to see his surroundings. Luckily, Heero's vision was significantly better then most peoples' and he was able to make out the dark images before him.

His arms were shackled behind him at such an angle, that if he wished to stand, his hands would be just above the small in his back. At the current moment, however, Heero was on his knees, all his weight applied to the thick metal cuffs. His legs were also shackled, only this time in line with the floor.

Around him were separate cells, designed to keep the five pilots away from each other. They must have been moved here upon Heero's capture. Though separated, Heero could still see each of them. Duo to his right, Wufei to his left. Quatre and Trowa directly in front of him. They were all conscious but obviously they hadn't noticed he had woken.

Pushing the feeling of weakness to the back of his mind, Heero forced himself up, until he was standing like his fellow pilots. Duo, whose shirt was torn, ragged and blood soaked, spoke.

"Heero! You're ok! Glad to see it. We're all ok, except Quatre. He took a pretty bad beating. When it came down to it, he can really fight! You should have seen him! He kept saying that he would never agree to help someone whose soul intention was to hurt one of his friends. Trowa had tried to help him, but was slammed into the wall by three of the soldiers. Wufei and Me actually teamed up to fight! We even took out quiet a few, until we were jumped from behind by a load of the guys."

Heero looked over at Quatre, who was barely conscious. His shirt and vest had been torn, blood stains covering his torso and arms. Trowa, whose turtleneck sleeves had been ripped clean off to reveal deep, ugly scars, was looking over at the blond haired Arabian, his face shadowed by his dark hair. Wufei was looking down at the floor. His white attire was patched with dried blood, tiny shreds of material clung to the bottom of his shirt. Heero, in comparison, wasn't as bad. Who ever was in charge of this whole operation obviously didn't want him too roughed up. His fellow pilots, however, weren't so lucky.

"Duo. Do you know who is in charge of all this?"

"No. All I know is that he or she really wanted you, and was willing to do anything to make it so."

"Is there anyone who has a serious grudge against you Heero?" Quatre asked, surprising everyone.

"Quatre! Are you alright?" Duo asked, concern showing in his voice.

"A little worse for wear, but nothing too serious. So Heero?"

"Plenty of people, but nobody with these kinds of resources." Heero responded quietly.

"Then who is it?" Trowa pondered.

"Who could want Heero so bad that they were willing to go to these lengths?" Wufei continued.

Who indeed Heero thought to himself.

**---**

Dawn came quickly, not that anyone could tell, due to the fact that there was only one small window, located on the far wall, opposite the main door.

Heero, who had slipped into a natural sleep in order to fully overcome the effects of the gas, woke with a start. Something had caught his attention, and for once, it wasn't Duo attempting one of his bad jokes. The other pilots, who hadn't slept because they had no need to, each heard the noise that had startled Heero from his rest.

The sound had come from the main door, which creaked open, allowing a tall figure to enter. It was a man, no older then the pilots. He had neatly combed blond hair and an intense gaze that was close to rivalling Heero's own. He wore a sharp, tight fitting, black suit, giving him the appearance of a very important, and also physically strong, person. This man was obviously the reason the pilots were here, and why Heero had been left unharmed.

The young man walked into the room, stopping at the door of Heero's cell. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside, staying just in front of the doorframe. He spoke in a strong but expressive voice.

"So we finally meet, Heero Yuy."

"Do I know you?"

"Oh yes. Well not me, but you do know someone very close to me. My little sister. Or should I say you _did_ know her. A sweet, innocent, plucky young girl? Ringing any bells? I'd give you her name but I don't think you'd recognise it, I mean; it's not likely you asked for it before you _killed_ her! Still not jogging your memory? Let me draw you a picture!" The now slightly enraged young man held up a photograph of a young, blond haired…wait a second! Heero's eyes widened as he recognised the face staring back at him.

IT WAS HER!

The little girl.

The sweet child who gave him the yellow flower.

The girl with the puppy.

The little girl who…he had killed.

She was his little sister… and now this man had come for revenge.

"Heero? Do you know who he's going on about?" Duo asked quietly.

Heero didn't respond.

"Come on Heero! Tell all your little friends. Tell them about how you needlessly killed a poor young girl!"

"Heero would never kill another person, at least, not without reason to!" Duo shouted defensively.

"It…was an accident." Heero finally said, his eyes shadowed and his expression unreadable.

"Heero?" Duo said quietly.

"Do you really expect me to believe that? After planning my revenge for almost three years, you expect me to just let you go because you say it was AN ACCIDENT!" The furious young man curved his hand into a fist and rammed it into Heero's stomach at such force, that the pilot lunged forward at whiplash speed. Stepping round to Heero's side, he cupped his arms together and brought them down in one almighty blow, bringing the Wing Zero pilot to his knees.

"You wanna know why I didn't want my men roughing you up?" He asked before kicking Heero is his already tender stomach, "It's because I wanted to beat the crap out of you personally." He reached down and, grabbing a fist full of Heero's unruly brown hair, yanked the boy to his feet. "But you know what really gets my ghost?" He asked as he punched Heero round the face, "It's that you had the nerve to call it an accident!" He delivered another punch to Heero's raw and bleeding stomach.

"It _was_ an accident." Heero managed to choke out, blood trickling from the corner of his lips.

"I DON'T BELIVE YOU!" Another hit to Heero's stomach.

"Please…" a tear ran down Heero's cheek as he remembered, "I didn't mean the hurt her."

"LIER!" Another hit.

"BELIEVE HIM!" Dou shouted.

"WHY?" He asked Duo, turning his attention to the next cell, "WHY SHOULD

I BELIEVE ANYTHING MY SISTER'S MURDERER SAYS?"

"Why else would he be crying if he had killed her deliberately?" Quatre asked.

He turned and finally noticed the salty tears falling from Heero's eyes.

"GUILT!"

"If you HAVE been planning your revenge for so long, then you would know that Heero Yuy never cries!" Wufei said, now joining in the defence.

"Even with guilt!" Trowa continued.

"YOU'RE ALL LYING!" He shouted, his hands covering his ears.

"I didn't kill her on purpose. I know my word won't bring her back, but you have to believe me when I say that I didn't murder your sister!" Heero said. A tiny click came from his direction, but obviously the man hadn't noticed.

"NOOO!" He yelled, falling to his knees. He pounded his fist on the concrete floor as thick heavy tears spilled from his eyes. A shadow loomed over his, causing him to look up. Heero stood over him. He had freed himself from the shackles while Duo, Wufei, Trowa and Quatre had been defending him.

"I can't begin to see how much her death affected you. I knew it was an accident, but the knowledge that I had ended another human's life, no matter what the circumstance, played on my like a bow on the strings of a violin, scraping at my inner most being. For you to have had to go through the same must have been a thousand times worse. I am truly sorry, and I hope you can forgive me." With that, Heero took the ring of keys from him and set about releasing his fellow pilots, leaving him on his knees, weeping heavily.

Just as the freed pilots arrived at the main door, Sanja and the rest of Team Nova arrived.

"We're here to help you, Heero."

"That won't be necessary."

"Should we take him into custody?"

"Neither will that."

**---**

Heero stood on a tall cliff, watching the waves crash against the stone.

"Heero?"

Heero turned to face the braided boy.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Heero nodded slowly.

"You know it was an accident. That's what's important."

Heero nodded again.

"So is everything ok?"

"Yes."

"Good." Duo was about to walk away when he stopped. "Oh, Heero. Before I forget. Who's this Team Nova? Are they meant to replace us?"

Heero shook his head, "No. I think they're just to help us."

"Do you think we'll meet again?"

"I have a feeling our paths will cross." Heero took one last look at the golden tinged ocean, before walking back to his apartment. Duo joined him.

They walked in silence as the sun began to fade behind the horizon.

The End.


End file.
